under Part III. of the Act of 1890, and more recently, the additional powers given to them under the amending Act of 1900, for purchasing land and establishing dwellings outside their districts upon agricultural land. He wished to set a high standard for municipal bodies to follow, especially in the direction of an ample provision of ground for each dwelling. Speaking, in 1901, to a representative of the Municipal Journal, he said:

"The public announcement of the experiment would not have been made just now, had it not been for the fact that the London County Council and other important municipal bodies are preparing great housing schemes, and that I feel so strongly that it would be a lamentable mistake to herd the working people together in localities other than those they now occupy, thereby creating more slums. Our main object is to develop the physique of the nation; and supposing land could be acquired cheaply enough, I should recommend action on similar lines to the London County Council, and other great municipal bodies."

Lifelong labour among the poor, forty years' work as teacher of a men's Bible class in Birmingham, and an intimate knowledge, firsthand, of the life histories and struggles of hundreds of working men, have convinced Mr. Cadbury that the overcrowding of masses of people in large cities not only results inevitably in the most serious moral and physical deterioration, but also imposes an almost insurmountable barrier in the way of all efforts towards helping men to a better life. He has come to the conclusion that the most hopeful solution of this difficulty was to give opportunity and encouragement for the masses of the people "to remove from the squalor and temptations of city life and settle amid the wholesome, helpful sights and sounds of country life. In a word the people must be brought back to the land."

Establishment of the Village. As a practical step Mr. Cadbury set apart over 330 acres of his Bournville estate for the purpose of establishing an attractive village, with improved dwellings, large gardens, and plentiful open spaces. It was decided not to sell the cottages outright, as it would be impossible to insure that the property thus sold would be administered in harmony with the motives and wishes which inspired the vendor, so the experiment was tried of letting the land and houses on leases of 999 years, charging a small ground rent, and inserting covenants in the leases to secure the accomplishment of the purpose of the lessor. Money was advanced on mortgage at 2 to 3 per cent. to those who paid a substantial part of the value of the cottages, and in this way 143 were built and sold at cost price. This system, however, was found to be open to many of the usual objections to the multiplication of small ownerships, and has been discontinued in favour of a new development on more interesting lines.

Under this second method, cottages to the number of 227 have been built and let to weekly tenants, so that a population of nearly 2,000 can be accommodated in the 370 cottages that form the village. The inhabitants are by no means confined to the employees of the firm, as Mr. Cadbury's object was not merely to house his own workers under new and better conditions, but to attract, at least, a few of the workers in Birmingham to put up with the inconvenience of a four-mile journey

198 DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF BOURNVILLE VILLAGE.

each day, for the purpose of securing the benefits of good houses in country surroundings in exchange for the unhealthy conditions of city homes.

In this he has been more than successful, for 556 of the householders work in Birmingham or the neighbourhoods outside Bournville, and are therefore entirely independent of the factory.

The development of the estate has so far proceeded on most praiseworthy lines. At present only one-third of the site has been laid out, but future development will be on much the same plan.

Roads, Open Spaces, Cottages, and Gardens.—The roads are 42 feet wide and are planted with trees, while the houses are set back some distance from the road, so that they look as picturesque as could be desired. The "Stocks" Wood in the centre of the village is only one of a number of open spaces. Recreation grounds and a children's playground have already been laid out, and a bath-house has been built. Gas, water, and sewers have been laid on and connected with Birmingham.

The cottages are either semi-detached or in blocks of four; the latter arrangement securing most suitable proportions for enabling a great variety of designs to be introduced, so that the streets present a most picturesque appearance, with an entire absence of that monotony which is so wearisome to the eyes in many country and suburban districts.

The butcher's shop, post office, and "Ye Olde Farm Inn” are most artistic buildings, and some delightful effects have been produced in the various groups of cottages by the liberal use of half-timber work, rough cast, and cement facing for the walls, harmonising agreeably with roofs of red tiles or green slates. Ingenious and artistic, but simple designs in windows, doors, porches, and ironwork complete a picture which is unmatched on any estate in Great Britain. The accompanying illustrations speak for themselves, and shew how successfully the architects and all concerned have laboured to secure beautiful as well as healthy homes and surroundings for the tenants.

Each cottage is set well back from the road, and has an average garden space of 600 yards. These gardens are laid out in advance for the tenant, so that an effective and artistic start being made, the new tenant naturally takes a pride in maintaining the beauty and usefulness of his grounds. Lines of fruit trees-pear, apple, and plum-are planted at the end of the gardens, and these, besides yielding a good supply of fruit, form a pleasant screen for the backs of the houses. As the result of careful observations which have been made to ascertain the actual value of the return from the gardens in fruit and vegetables, it has been found that the receipts have averaged 1/11 per plot per week, a very useful contribution in aid of rent, inasmuch as it was clear of all expenses except labour, which, of course, was the healthy recreation of the tenants' leisure time. This average return of about £60 per acre is a striking confirmation of the value of that intensive cultivation of the soil which can be effected by the multiplication of large gardens among the dwellings of the poor. In addition to the cottage gardens there are about 200 allotments, which are in great